Can Laser Therapy Help With Neuropathy?

Today's post from rxeconsult.com (see link below) looks very optimistically at laser therapy for various conditions including nerve damage and neuropathic symptoms. Whether that optimism is justified is up to the reader. It's an interesting development and the article explains how lasers work in medical conditions but what the reader misses from this article is proof, or at least links to the research papers and articles that may lead to the proof that it works. Proof is essential for a treatment such as this because neuropathy patients are rightly sick of being led up the garden path, relieved of their money and then sent packing with no visible improvement in their condition. If laser therapy sounds attractive to you then a serious discussion with your doctor is advisable, followed by some serious research of your own on the Internet. There are many forms of laser equipment and just as many different treatments widely advertised but let the buyer beware! Whatever its benefits, it will be expensive and at the moment, with no guarantees of success. Neuropathy patients are used to the 'no guarantees' tag but need to see some scientific basis for claims such as these before stepping into new territory to try to relieve their dreadful symptoms.

Laser Therapy For Pain, Inflammation, Neuropathy, Scar Tissue, And Other Conditions
by Brittney Overstreet - February 11, 2016

Laser Therapy: What it is, how it works and how it will help you.

What is laser therapy?

Laser therapy is a solution for patients suffering from acute and chronic pain, inflammation, neuropathies, various movement challenges, and reducing scar tissue formation post surgery. The number of physicians exploring this treatment is expected to increase by 13% over the next four years. Unlike surgical lasers that destroy tissue with beam collimation, therapeutic lasers use beam divergence to bio-stimulate injured and dysfunctional tissue. Clinical studies have shown positive outcomes from laser therapy.





How do therapeutic lasers work?

When the laser is placed against the skin, photon energy particles are emitted and directed at photoreceptors in the cell. This stimulates cellular activity, specifically changes in the mitochondria, resulting in a cascade of events such as DNA restructuring, increased oxygenation and blood flow, all resulting in ATP production.

By penetrating deep into the body’s soft tissue with natural light energy, the body is able to heal itself by stimulating cell growth, improving cell regeneration, invoking anti-inflammatory responses, reducing fibrous tissue formation, and stimulating nerve function.

“Based on our experience in our pain clinic, the laser has been very effective in healing many different types of pain,” said Ernest Khoury, MD, Metro Pain Laser owner. “It is also a useful adjunct to the traditional modalities of pain relief.”

What can laser therapy treat?

Laser therapy prevents edema, resulting in reduced swelling caused by bruising or inflammation. It decreases nerve sensitivity by blocking pain signals transmitted to the brain. Photons of light from lasers penetrate deeply into tissue and accelerate cellular reproduction and growth. Laser light will significantly increase the formation of new capillaries in damaged tissue. This speeds up healing, closes wounds quickly and reduces scar tissue.

Laser therapy also increases metabolic activity in patients by increasing production of specific enzymes. It also stimulates trigger and acupuncture points, providing non-invasive musculoskeletal pain relief. The treatment reduces the formation of scar tissue following tissue damage from cuts, scratches, burns or surgery. Laser therapy will improve nerve function in patients experiencing numbness and in impaired limbs from damaged tissue. Laser light has a direct effect on boosting immunity by stimulation of immunoglobins and lymphocytes. Faster wound healing is often a result of laser therapy as laser light stimulates fibroblast development in damaged tissue.

“I recently had meniscus removal surgery. After two days of treatments, my experience with laser therapy was excellent,” said professional baseball player Tony Wolters. “My knee is stronger, and overall I am doing a lot better. It works! It gave me a lot more confidence in what I am able to do. I am definitely going to continue using this product throughout my career.”

http://www.rxeconsult.com/healthcare-articles/Laser-Therapy-For-Pain-Inflammation-Neuropathy-Scar-Tissue-And-Other-Conditions-981/